weeks to ee his big-booted si ter Nancy (at the Limelight), but bandleader dnd No 1 son FRANK SINATRA. JR.. is here now, with a swinging twenty-piece orchestra. Will Frank, Sr., show up? No. But hey, that's more room for you. Dining. VILLAGE VANGUARD. 178 Seventh Ave. S., at 11th St. (255-4037)-HAROLD ASHBY (in through April 30) has been carrying on the tradition of the big- toned, heart-on-the-sleeve tenor sax ever since Duke Ellington hired him as a resident ro- mantic in the late sixties. Ashby's forthright swing can surely cure what ails you. DAVID SANCHEZ takes over on May 2. The VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA holds sway on Mondays. VISIONES. 125 Macdougal St., at W. 3rd St. (673- 5576)-April 26-29: The KENNY WERNER trio. While young piano virtuosos are arriving by the wagonload, there's still room for evolving perennials like Werner, an eminently smart stylist. May 2: The DWAYNE BURNO quartet. ZINNO. 126 W. 13th St. (924-5182)-A rarity among jazz clubs: somewhere you'd go to eat even if there were no music. Through April 29: Piano and bass with HILTON RUIZ and ANDY MC CLOUD. raphy (Newsweek cdlled him "the most melodic and eloquent guitarist that punk has produced," but his solos are much trickier than any elf-respecting punk's.) Mascis can play all right, but it's his dark, throaty voice and dislocated lyrics that make Dinosaur J r. cool. On "Without a Sound," the band's recent release, they seem to have closed the gap between brute force and pop filigree. Live, they're even better. With CHA- VEZ. April 27: The SMITHEREENS.... tJI Soul Kitchen, the original seventies funk and R. & B. party, goes down (late) every Tues- day. . . . tJI The Swing Dance Society gathers here every Sunday, with sets from eight until midnight. For information on the soci- ety, call 696-9737 KAPTAIN BANANA. 101 Greene St. (343-9000)- French cabaret en travesti in SoHo. Three drag queens and eight dancers re-create the Court of Versailles, a carnival in Rio, Mar- lene Dietrich, and the Andrews Sisters. There's also a singing gorilla Dining. KNITTING FACTORY. 74 Leonard St, between Broad- way and Church St (219-3055)-April 26- 17 27: LUKA BLOOM. Three years ago, thIS Irish folk-rocker hdd a brillidnt idea: he took a rap ong, LL Cool J's "I Need Love," and turned it into a hearty, brogue-inflected ballad. (At the Newport Folk Festival, he claimed that the song was actually written by his grandfather, "Mr. LL O'Cool ].") Bloom's own material is a bit less inspired, and he seems to have dropped off the radar screen. But he remains an eclectic gem and a hell of a guitar player, too. April 29: BABE THE BLUE ox. May 2: VELOCITY GIRL. This indie quartet, led by vocalist Sarah Shannon, formed at the University of Maryland in the late eighties. They write appealing pop songs that are roughed up by skittish guitar noise and unpredictable turns. In concert, they like to show off their tough side. LIMELIGHT. Sixth Ave. at 20th St. (807-7850)- The rock-and-roll church. May 2: LOW POP SUICIDE. Wednesday night is Disco 2000, a fin-de-siècle blowout. LUDLOW STREET CAFÉ. 165 Ludlow St (353- 0536)-A modest belowstairs room that looks like a spruced-up tenement apartment. April ROCK. ETC. A.K.A.. 77 W. Houston St, at Wooster St. (673-7325)-April 29 belongs to the local funk combo MILO Z. The ACCIDENTS take over on April 30. BLARNEY STAR. 43 Murray St. (732-2873)-Home to fine Irish music every Friday night. April 28: An evening of County Sligo-style fiddle with JAMES KELLY. BOTTOM LINE. 15 W. 4th St., at Mercer St. (228- 6300)-April 27: JEFFREY GAINES. Call him an angry but sensitive young man. Gaines's brisk melodies and taut arrangements recall the singer-songwriters of the post-punk era, but his earnest lyrics bring James Taylor to mind. Fans of the Rounder record label should stop by on April 28 for a party celebrating the release of the film "True Believers." Fans of the movie "The Commitments" should drop by on April 30, when members of its cast wiU he performing Dining. BROWNIES. 169 Avenue A, at 10th St (429- 8392)-April 30: Rock with the MELVINS. CAFÉ A Go Go. 144 Bleecker St (475-1241)-A happening new rock club on a street steeped in musical history. Speaking of history, MARIA MULDAUR. who brought us "Midnight at the Oasis" in 1974, makes a comeback on April 29. CBGB & OMFUG. 315 Bowery, at Bleecker St (982-4052)-A narrow, graffiti-strewn cave packed every evening with new and used bands of the loud variety. April 30: JAWBOX. CHICAGO B.L.U.E.S.. 73 Eighth Ave., at 13th St. (924-9755)-Buddy Guy may be better known, but OTIS RUSH (in on April 28-29) hds been nipping at his ankles for more than four decades. Rush is nothing if not intense: his phrasing stings with a lyricism just this side of murderous, and his pledge that' 'I've been wronged but I won't be wronged again" i just d chilling. Dig out the first Led Zeppelin dlbum to gauge Rush's semindl influence on rock-but don't bldme him for the bombast. CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. 25 Third Ave., dt St. Mdrks PI. (529-6924)-Hipster , lJunks, po eur , N.Y.U. students, the occasional kinhedd- a typical Ea t Village bar. Live mu ic nightly. DON HILL'S. 511 Greenwich St. (219-2850)-A tidy little SoHo bar with an above-average P.A. system and top-notch local bands on the docket Friday night is Squeeze Box, a vinyl-and-velvet gay glamfest, hosted by Mistress Formika. FEZ. 380 Lafayette St. (533-7000)-April 26: HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER. featuring' 'Saturday Night Live" guitarist G. E. SMITH. Mondays are given over to "The Honeysuckles," a weekl) live soap opera, and the MINGUS BIG BAND still packs them in every Thursday. Dining. 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